How will my money be used if I contribute?

Thank you for considering to donate to the 99% Declaration project. The money you contribute will placed into escrow and then a tax-exempt account maintained at Mid-Hudson Federal Credit Union in New York State. The 99% Declaration is managed by a not for profit organization called the The Ninety-Nine Percent Working Group, Ltd. The interim board of this organization consists of Adeline Malone, Esq., a former IRS Attorney specializing in not for profit entities, Kevin Archambault, who has been working with not for profit groups for about 20 years, and Michael Pollok, Esq. who has been practicing criminal defense law since 1994. Michael began his career suing attorneys and accountants, who had defrauded depositors, on behalf of the FDIC.

Your donation is not tax deductible. Rather your donation is tax exempt, which means The Ninety-Nine Percent Working Group does not have to pay tax on the money it collects since it is a not-for-profit organization. The interim board will regularly publish the bank statements on the Facebook page and have complete transparency of all expenditures. We are also subject to the not for profit laws of New York State. A full board of 5 to 9 members will be elected within one year of the filing date.

NOTE: Access to the The Ninety-Nine Percent Working Group bank account will be limited to our attorneys and accountant because they have a legal, ethical and fiduciary duty to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Michael S. Pollok, Esq. is the current treasurer and Adeline Malone, Esq. is our not-for-profit attorney.

You may make a contribution by clicking the "Please Donate" link on the left hand side of the page or you may mail a check or money order to:The 99 Percent Working Group, LtdPost Office Box 190Red Hook, New York 12571

We cannot take cash.

We expect the money to be spent on the following:

1. While the method of voting to elect the delegates has not been finalized, your donation will pay for the creation of a web based voting system that will allow people from all over the United States to vote online for the candidates. Candidates will register online and have a candidate profile you may access to see what their platform is and they will be able to post pictures and videos in their candidate profile. We also plan to have laptops (if we can raise the funds) in each congressional district so that people who do not have access to the Internet will be able to vote at a polling station. Telephone voting is another possibility we are exploring.

2. Rental of a convention venue in July 2012 for the delegates to meet for one week. We estimate the cost to rent the venue space to range from $50,000 to $100,000. Other add-ons include audio visual equipment for the conference, union labor, providing printed materials, making identification badges, security, and providing lunch each day for the delegates if we can afford it. Some of these services may be donated but we cannot count on that for budgeting purposes. If at the end of this process, we have funds remaining, the delegates will vote on how to expend the funds. Once the convention convenes and all outstanding debts are paid, any net credit balance will be turned over to the control of the elected delegates unless they direct otherwise.

3. The payment of vendors during the election. All vendors will have to submit bids before being hired unless union labor is required. For example, we have already hired a producer (from personal donated funds) to make our first commercial but we expect to create additional commercials and ads to let the American public know that we are holding an election over a weekend in March or April and a National General Assembly in July. Attorneys' fees have also been donated so the tax-exempt filings could be made. We will also be required to purchase liability insurance for the venue and for any locations where people will be voting in person. We are waiting for a quote form an insurance agent who deals with the venues in Philadelphia. It is too early to estimate the cost of insurance at the polling sites. No one involved in the 99% Declaration will be paid except for vendors that we must hire. Everyone else is a volunteer so please be patient because we also have day jobs. If a member of the group lays out funds for a PRE-APPROVED expenditure, that volunteer will be entitled to reimbursement. All bills and receipts and expenditures will be saved for tax and auditing purposes.

4. Conferencing technology so the delegates can meet online before, during and after the election. We have volunteers from all over the country willing to help so we need to stay in contact. Skype, while free, has a very limited number of users who can participate. This will be vital for the delegates who are elected so they can meet and confer online between April and July because the meeting in July will only be one- week long. This technology will also be used to allow delegates who cannot travel to Philadelphia to participate in the deliberations and voting of the National General Assembly.

5. Other unanticipated expenses will arise and we will put significant discretionary expenditures (more than $500) to the vote of the membership. All fund-raising and expenditures will be transparent. For the most part, however, the board members will make organizational and logistical decisions leading up to the election and National General Assembly with input from the full membership.

The Small Print. Paid for by The Ninety-Nine Percent Working Group, Ltd. (d/b/a "The99Declaration.org"). Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. The99Declaration.org will file as a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization which primarily focuses on nonpartisan education and advocacy on important national issues. Contributions to The99Declaration.org are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. The99Declaration.org cannot accept contributions from foreign nationals or federal-government contractors. Federal law requires The99Declaration.org to use its best efforts to obtain and report the name, address, occupation, and employer of any individual who contributes more than $200 in a calendar year. This organization was formed under the laws of the State of New York and complies with the requirements of New York State's not-for-profit laws. See http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/nycode/NPC